Random Notes from a Crank

I was in the liquor aisle the other day, and on a whim I decided to buy some single malt Scotch, in particular Glenlivet. 

That was a mistake. It's not that's it's bad, but I just prefer bourbon. I should have spent that kind of money on Eagle Rare, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Four Roses Single Barrel, or some other kind of high-dollar, excellent bourbon like 1792. 

With the cursory research I've done on single malt Scotches, if I'm going to shell out some money for that kind of juice, from the description of them, I should invest my booze dollars on Scotches from the Isle of Isley, specifically Lagavulin and Laphroaig. I like whiskey with a lot of character ~ lots of oak or lots of peat. Isley whiskies sound like the type of Scotch that I might prefer. That and Johnnie Walker Black. The smokier the better. 

Which gets me to the idea that I should get a smoker. But now I'm on to food. 

A few days ago I patched together a soup/stew from some ingredients I need to use before they got too far along. I had a half head of cabbage and some cauliflower, so I cut up the cabbage and cauliflower, dumped in some chicken and beef stock, and added a pound of smoked kielbasa. Add in freshly cracked black pepper, granulated garlic, and some bouquet garni, and it's a decent dinner for this here crank. 

Moscow Don's impeachment is an exercise for the GOP putting party over country. What a murder of clowns. 

Music Friday: "Wonderwall"

I'm currently watching the Wolves vs. Manchester City match. After City got awarded a penalty kick for an obvious, shameless flop, the camera cut to part of the Wolverhampton crowd, and one bloke in the stands yelled at the referees who awarded the kick. 

I'm not usually that great at reading lips, but I'm pretty certain the fan screamed "fucking wanker," which is stupendously British. 

I felt the same way since I like the Wolves. 

So in dishonor of the all the fucking wankers out there, here's an Oasis tune. 

Music Friday: "PRINCE"

Here's the song that got me hooked into acquiring Jon Batiste's new live album, Chronology of a Dream. 

Check it out. 

That album made it onto my top ten albums of the year. 

Top Ten/Twenty Albums of 2019

It's that time of the year again.

Like I did in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, I'm providing my top choices of albums that came out this year. 

I didn't acquire as much new music as I have in past years, so if there are other albums you would recommend that came out in 2019, please let me know in the comments section. 

I'm providing my top ten albums with a handful of honorable mentions. 

1. Sturgill Simpson, SOUND & FURY

If people thought Simpson's last album was an experiment because of the inclusion of horns, I wonder what they think about this one. This album was a total surprise to me. I enjoy his whole discography, but this opus delivers wildly different goods than what we're accustomed to from a singer-songwriter of the Americana ilk. The pulsing beats and experimental melodies are wonderful. Do yourself a favor and watch the film on Netflix. It's a trip. 

Favorite Songs: "Make Art Not Friends," "Best Clockmaker on Mars," "Mercury in Retrograde," and "Sing Along"

2. Gary Clark Jr, This Land

Like Isbell's song from last year, "Hope the High Road," Clark's leadoff song on this fine album, "This Land," is a political punch in the gut. That song, for me, is the 2019 Song of the Year. The album is a mix of traditional blues, rock-n-roll, and soulful tunes. Mr. Clark has turned himself into one of those artists who puts out consistent, well plotted albums. I look forward to more and more of them. 

Favorite Songs: "This Land," "Dirty Dishes Blues," "Gotta Get Into Something," and "Feed the Babies"

3. Black Pumas, self-titled

This duo is apparently nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys. I suspect they might win unless Maggie Rogers (see below) wins the award. I suspect you've heard their single, "Colors," sometime along the line this year. Their music reminds me of the great R&B/Soul records of the 60s and 70s, especially the work of Bill Withers, who was phenomenal. I don't know much about these guys besides the fact they're based out of Austin, which is a musical hothouse. 

Favorite Songs: "Touch the Sky," "Fire," "Colors," and "Know You Better" 

4. Michael Kiwanuka, KIWANUKA

Over the years I've heard Kiwanuka's tunes and enjoyed them, but I never took the plunge and actually bought one of his albums. I rewarded myself and acquired his 2019 release. I guess he's considered an alternative artist, but it sounds like good old fashioned R&B to me. "Final Days" is one of my favorite songs of the year. 

Favorite Songs: "Final Days," "Hero," "Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)," and "Solid Ground"

5. Jon Batiste, Chronology of a Dream

Mr. Batiste and his backing band Stay Human are known for their work on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and a week or so back the band played one of the songs from this album on the show. I loved the song. So I bought the album. Batiste has two albums out this year that are live at the Village Vanguard. I prefer this one over the other one, which is featured in the honorable mention section. I might be purchasing more jazz albums this coming year. Batiste and his mates have reaffirmed my interest in traditional jazz. 

Favorite Songs: "PRINCE," "PWWR," "KENNER," and "BIRTHE" 

6. Maggie Rogers, Heard It In A Past Life

I got interested in her work after hearing the single "Light On" via the Sirius XM Spectrum channel. I guess one way you might describe her music is alternative pop. This album fulfills my need when I have to listen to some pop-like tunes. 

Favorite Songs: "Fallingwater," "Past Life," "Burning," and "Light On"

7. The Hold Steady, Thrashing Thru the Passion

I almost missed that one of my favorite rock bands pushed out a new album this year. It doesn't disappoint. The drum beat and menacingly fun guitar riffs on "You Did Good Kid" are addictive as hell. As usual, Finn pens fine lyrics that tell interesting stories. 

Favorite Songs: "You Did Good Kid," "T-Shirt Tux," "Entitlement Crew," and "Traditional Village"  

8. Tedeschi Trucks Band, Signs

This massively sized band put out another good album this year. Like all their other albums, it's a heady mix of blues and rock with horns thrown in. 

Favorite Songs: "They Don't Shine," "Shame," "Still Your Mind," and "Signs, Hard Times" 

9. Justin Townes Earle, The Saint of Lost Causes

I think one could argue that this album is JTE's best effort since Harlem River Blues. But my evaluation is colored by my bias for uptempo songs, which this album features. 

Favorite Songs: "Ain't Got No Money," "Mornings in Memphis," "Flint City Shake It," "Appalachia Nightmare"

10. Son Volt, Union

Considering the times, Jay Farrar returned to political songs. I can't say I'm surprised. I still hanker for rock-forward tunes of the earlier years (think Swing Wide Tremelo). 

Favorite Songs: "The Symbol," "The 99," "When Rome Burns," and "Devil May Care" 

Honorable Mentions

Todd Snider, Cash Cabin Sessions No. 3

Bob Mould, Sunshine Rock

Craig Finn, I Need a New War

Joe Pug, The Flood in Color

Chemical Brothers, No Geography

Jon Batiste, Anatomy of Angels

Music Friday: "Final Days"

I've been listening the hell out of Michael Kiwanuka's 2019 offering. I've heard his stuff over the past few years and liked his sound, but this album is the first one I've bought. 

This is one of my favorite tunes on the album. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Pickled Chicken Salad

I tried an experiment the other day by creating picked chicken in a slow cooker. It turned out okay as a foodstuff, but I think it lends itself to chicken salad better. 

Ingredients
2-3 chicken breasts
1-2 jars of leftover pickle juice ~ I recommend Claussen
Cracked black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Dried thyme
Mayonnaise 

Process
Take two to three chicken breasts and put them in a slow cooker with leftover pickle juice that you've saved.  

You might wonder why I keep pickle juice in my fridge, particularly the Claussen variety. Pro Tip: It's an outstanding addition to any Bloody Mary. 

Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker with the pickle juice and cook it on slow for 6-8 hours. Then shred the chicken breast in the pickle brine. Drain the shredded chicken and use however much of the brine you want.

In a large bowl mix the shredded chicken, mayo, and seasonings. Slather it on some good bread and make a sandwich. 

Music Friday: "Colors"

I've heard this song a ton this past month. I'm intrigued by this duo of musicians. 

I'm sure I'll buy their album. 

Sunday Hangover: Auburn

What a crappy Iron Bowl for the Tide. And what a horrible way for the team to end its otherwise strong season. 

There will be an extreme focus on the last penalty of the game, but Alabama has so many damn penalties.

I do agree with Saban and others that it was absolute bullshit that Auburn essentially was given a timeout at the end of the half when they had zero timeouts. In my mind, the ball should have been set, with one second left, and then they should have run the clock, which would have translated to no try at a field goal.  

The one pick-six by Jones was bad. He just overthrew it. The other one, at the end of an impressive drive, was just freaky. 

Besides those crucial miscues, Jones played well. And the offensive line, except for some notable exceptions, did a good job of protecting him.

Najee and Waddle were absolute beasts in the game. 

With the Tide out of the playoff for the first time, my bitter thoughts venture toward the bowl game and which players will be going out in the draft. 

I suspect the trio of outstanding receivers ~ Jeudy, Ruggs, and Smith ~ might all go into the draft. Those three plus Waddle is the strongest wide receiving corps I've ever seen play for the Tide. Or in college football for that matter. 

I worry about Najee getting seduced by the NFL draft since he is a junior, but I wonder about what his draft grade will be. Coach Saban's advice is always that if you're not a first rounder, you should come back for school and to improve your draft stock. That's what Raekwon Davis did.

Music Friday: "After Curfew"

Joe Pug's new album is one album I've bought this year that I probably need to listen to more often. 

I will admit that the album is mainly slower tracks. I tend to like tunes with a peppier beat. I get that Joe Pug is not a rocker kind of guy, but I hunger for something stronger. 

This is probably one of my favorites from the new album, The Flood in Color. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The Washington Post has a fine article about the efforts of Denmark to be a carbon-neutral country: "What It Takes To Be Carbon Neutral - For a Family, a City, a Country." The U.S. could so this if we had smart leadership. 

Speaking of some of our so-called leaders, a word I need to use more often is "dullard." 

A while back, I did a workshop for someone who used the word "amazing" way too often. Everything, to her, seemed to be "amazing." When everything appears to be amazing, then nothing is amazing. 

There's also a sensible editorial in The Washington Post by the newly elected governors of Kentucky and Louisiana: "How Democrats Can Win, Everywhere." 

Sunday Hangover: Western Carolina

The Tide looked great in the annual tune-up game before the Iron Bowl. 

Mac Jones had a solid game, but he's not typically going to get that kind of time in the pocket vs. Auburn. So we'll see what happens down on the Plains. 

There was all kinds of hype about Tua's younger brother playing, but Jones is clearly the more polished of the QBs. Jones threw some solid deep balls, and Sarkisian called the game as if Tua was in the game. 

From my amateur eyes, Jones looked fairly mobile and had a good pocket presence.

If Alabama loses against Auburn on Saturday, they have no shot of getting into the playoffs. If they win and if LSU beats Georgia (which I suspect will happen), the Tide has a good shot. 

Music Friday: "Wave That Flag"

One of my friends on Facebook shared an experience of being behind a semi the other day that proudly displayed the stars and bars. 

I hate Confederate flags. 

Sunday Hangover: Mississippi State

It was a costly win. Besides Tua's season-ending injury, the two starting DTs got banged up too. 

As for Tua's injury, Coach Saban will be second-guessed ad nauseam about still playing the QB with the Tide up 35 to 7. I'm not going to go there. 

But I am a little peeved that people are thinking the Tide's season is over. Mac Jones was a highly touted QB coming out of high school in Florida, probably at least f four-star recruit.  He has a lot of talent. He just doesn't have a lot of experience except for mainly mop-up duties and his lone start against Arkansas. 

Sarkisian's play calling in the Arkansas game was, for the most part, conservative. So I hope they call some more downfield passes in the next two games. Jones has a good arm. 

Western Carolina is up next, which is not much of a matchup. The real proving ground for Jones will at Auburn. 

Music Friday: "The Symbol"

I bought the new Son Volt album, Union, when it came out, but I need to listen to it much more often. Good old Jay Farrar has some things to say that are worth a serious listen.

This song, the final one on the album, came across my iPod Shuffle the other day. I had forgotten about it. 

In light of the Supreme Court likely to rule against the Dreamers (DACA), this song if relevant. 

Sunday Hangover: LSU

That was a terrible first quarter for the Crimson Tide. They tried to come back from shooting themselves in the feet, but they couldn't pull out the win. 

I'm still pissed at the allegedly completed pass that the LSU TE had. It was clearly illegal touching, but the announcers explained that they supposedly can't review illegal touching. If that's true, that's patent nonsense. 

It was a disappointing afternoon and evening. 

Alabama needed to run the ball more.

I guess there's an outside shot of the Tide getting the playoffs, but I think Alabama won't be in them for the first time since they started. 

I hope to be proven wrong. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In the October issue of The Atlantic there's a short article by Jeffrey Goldberg based on his interviews with former Secretary of Defense James Mattis: "The Man Who Couldn't Take It Anymore." Like the author, I wish Mattis would speak out more. 

The anonymous author who wrote an op-ed column a while back about the unhinged, racist, intellectually dubious, and easily influenced nature of Moscow Don has published a book: "Book by Anonymous Describes Trump as Cruel, Inept, and a Danger to the Nation." 

It's a narrative that should seriously concern any American citizen. In one of the early ¶s of the article, it paints a chilling but not surprising portrait comparing Moscow Don to "a twelve-year old in an air traffic control tower, pushing button of government indiscriminately, indifferent to the planes skidding across the runway and the flight frantically diverting away from the airpot." 

I've compiled a bunch of metrics and stats from past Harper's Indexes dating all the way back from May:

• Factor by which users of marijuana edibles are more likely to require emergency care than marijuana smokers: 33
• Percentage of U.S. adults who admit to shopping while drunk: 26
• Average amount of those adults spend annually on purchases made while drunk: $736
• Estimated value of drunk shopping to the U.S. economy each year: $39,400,000,000
• Number of U.S. counties in which a full-time worker making minimum wage can afford a one-bedroom apartment: 22
• Percentage by which a same-sex couple is more likely to be denied a home loan than other couples: 73
• Estimated percentage of New York City police officers who have received tickets for speeding tickets for speeding and running red lights: 59
• Of New York City drivers in general: 36
• Percentage of Republican or Republican-leaning whites who are bothered by hearing a non-English language in public: 47
• Of Democratic or Democratic-leaning whites: 18
• Factor by which more migrants with criminal records are apprehended at the Canadian rather than the Mexican border: 3
• Percentage chance that a U.S. woman who is denied an abortion will be in poverty six months later: 61
• Factor by which more Americans died in school shootings than in combat last year: 3
• Rank of Candid among countries resettling the most refugees in 2018: 1
• Minimum number of years for which the United States previously held that distinction: 59
• Number of U.S. state that require permits for children's lemonade stands: 34
• Estimated number of active police officers who use racist, bigoted, or violent language on Facebook: 20
• Of retired police officers: 45
• Percentage by which the federal minimum wage is worth les today than it was in 1968: 31
• Number of years for which the federal minimum wage has remained unadjusted: 10
• Number of U.S. representatives and senators who are naturalized American citizens: 14
• Number of those who are Democrats: 14
• Number of think tanks in the United States: 1,872
• Factor by which this figure has increased since 1980: 2
• Percentage of American adults who think the Iraq War was not worth fighting: 62
• Of veterans: 64
• Portion of violent protest movements seeking regime change from 1900 to 2014 that were successful: 1/4
• Of nonviolent protest movements: 1/2
• Rank of Brazil among countries with the highest amount of annual forest depletion: 2
• Rank of Russia: 1
• Minimum number of Afghan civilians killed this year by the Afghan military and international forces: 577
• By the Taliban: 423
• Average number of times per week Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is mentioned on Fox News: 42
• On CNN: 14
• Number of states whose Supreme Court benches are all white: 24
• Number of those states in which at least a quarter of the population consists of people of color: 8
• Minimum number of U.S. universities that have offered courses related to the marijuana industry: 14
• Rank of subscription television services among the forty-six major U.S. industries in terms of customer satisfaction: 46
• Of breweries: 1

Some initial thoughts based on all that data...

Thank the Gods for beer. 

Prejudice against same-sex couples is quite alive. 

Arguments for a much higher minimum wage have some ammunition. 

As much as people want to talk about the "thin blue line," to think there are not problems with policing in this country is foolishness. The tickets for NYC cops is somewhat jejune but not an aberration. People in power can easily abuse that power. 

The GOP has become a nativist party that has become obsessed with painting Democrats as socialists. 

Legalized marijuana has its challenges. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Garbanzo and Black Bean Salad

You would think people who truck in the English language, especially foodies who like to call concoctions "compotes" and such, would come up with a better name than "salad" to describe a mixture of beans and veggies, but here I am, providing a repipe for a bean-based salad. 

I went to Aldi's after work and saw a bean salad, so I decided to make one of my own. I like garbanzos and black beans. So here you go. 

Ingredients

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small bell pepper, chopped finely

1 bunch of green onions, whites chopped finely

1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic

1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped finely

Smidge of rice vinegar 

Salt and pepper to taste

Process

Drain and rinse the beans. Once fairly dry, dump them into a bowl and add the bell pepper, scallions, garlic, cilantro, and a little bit of vinegar. Salt and pepper to your desired level of seasoning. 

Music Friday: "Ain't Got No Money"

The Saint of Lost Causes Is one of the better efforts by Justin Townes Earle in recent years. I've listened to it off and on since it dropped. 

Here's the second song on the album.

Music Friday: "I Will Buy You a New Life"

I'm late again. I got home late last night, walked the dog, had a refreshing highball of Old Grand Dad 114, and then fell asleep. 

This song came across the Lithium channel on SiriusXM radio this morning when I took my son to the walk-in clinic. He's had a fever for a couple of days. 

I've always enjoyed Everclear's songs, but I don't have any of the band's albums. 

This is probably one of my favorites. 

Sunday Hangover: Arkansas

I was hoping for a shutout, but that didn't happen. Much to the chagrin of Crimson Tide fans, the Razorbacks scored in the third quarter. 

Coach Sark had a solid game plan going into the game. He got Jones acclimated early by calling a lot of short passes. Jones did show his arm strength on a number of long throws, notably the 40-yard TD strike to Jeudy. 

The running game looked good against an outmanned Arkansas defense. 

As for the defense, I still have concerns about the Tide's ability to stop the run. 

The two freshmen middle linebackers ~ Lee and Harris ~ were the leading tacklers on the squad. Lee had two tackles for loss and a sack. That was the lone sack of the game, but Lewis had six quarterback hurries. 

The team will have an off week just like LSU has before they play the Tigers in less than a couple of weeks. 

Music Friday: "W.M.A."

I was listening to Pearl Jam Radio on my way to taking my car for an oil change, and this song was preceded by bassist Jeff Ament talking about how this is a great songs because of the drum part, which is one of his favorites out of all of their songs. 

It is a great drum part that pairs well with his bass line. 

And then there's "Police stopped my brother again."

Sunday Hangover: Tennessee

The big news of course is that Tua didn't play the majority of the game. He'll be out vs. Arkansas because he has a high ankle sprain. 

So Mac Jones came in and looked pretty dang nervous early on. Then it looked like he got his legs under him a bit and played much better. 

The Tide relied upon the ground game, which was something different this season. Both Harris and Robinson had good games, with Harris gaining 105 net yards on 21 carries. But the offense did pass for 233 yards. 

Interestingly, if we are to go by Coach Saban's mantra about having "balance" on offense, the Tide did exactly that: 233 yards rushing and 233 yards passing. 

Overall though, I think the team needs to tighten up their defense even more. Lewis once again stood out as a performer, but I'd like to see more production from the defensive linemen. 

But like I said, next up is a squad of Razorbacks.

Music Friday: "What Are You Willing to Lose?"

At the conclusion of walking my loyal dog Sampson last night this fine tune came across on Shuffle.  

Lucero makes some fine music. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I found a typeface I will now be using more of: Charter. It's easier on my eyes when I look at documents on a screen. 

For this blog I've been using Trebuchet for years. It's a sans serif font that has some serif-like style with its pointedness. 

And this all reminds me of the character Brick from The Middle who is also fascinated with typefaces. 

I started watching that show a few months ago. It's hilarious. Of course, with my timing, I didn't actually watch the sit-com when it was off the air. 

HBO has a new series I'm interested in: Watchmen. I enjoyed the graphic novel and its adaptation to the big screen. On the latter opus, I guess I"m a minority if one goes by all the vitriol on the InterWebs. I don't know what the series will be like, but I was surprised by Don Johnson being in the show. I haven't seen him in years. 

His Dark Materials looks very interesting too. I'm intrigued. I'm considering reading the novel trilogy that is the series' basis. 

Who are the morons who started the idiotic trend of wearing socks with Birkenstocks?

Sunday Hangover: Texas A&M

After A&M's opening drive where they mixed in the run and passing games effectively, I was concerned. Then a couple of Tide touchdowns happened, and the Aggies, for whatever reason, seemed to abandon the running game. 

It's not like Alabama was up that big on A&M, so I don't understand why they didn't stick to the formula that created an impressive first drive of the game. 

The line looked even stronger this game with the addition of Brown at RG and Dickerson moving to Center. Both Harris and Robinson ran well behind them with Harris garnering 114 net yards. 

The receiving corps clicked well with Tua. The Tide loves slant patterns and then runs slant-and-gos off them. 

Jennings and Lewis had really good games on the defensive side of the ball. 

However, I'm still concerned about the defense. 

Music Friday: "You Did Good Kid"

This week I discovered The Hold Steady, one of my favorite rock bands, put out a new album last month. 

No one told me about it. 

Here's a cut from the new album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Because I have two fantasy football teams and I am always open to stealing someone else's plays since I run an offense at the JFL level, I've been watching quite a few NFL games in addition to the my regular viewing schedule of watching college football on Saturdays. 

I find it interesting that both the Colts (vs. the Chiefs) and 49ers (vs. the Browns) won convincingly this week by running the ball. And much to my pleasure, San Francisco used a two-back set with a fullback. 

I get that people like watching the passing the game, but I love it when a football team has a great running game. 

That is why is bothers me that Thielen and Diggs of my NFL team, the Vikings, are bitching about how they're not getting a lot of passes thrown their way. Boo hoo. 

Run the damn ball. 

I need that hat. 

Even better is a team that has a great defense. 

My fantasy baseball team, the Schlitzophrenics, won the league again this season. Over the last five seasons I've won the league four times. 

Bask in my greatness. 

Music Friday: "Non-State Actor"

It's a shame that Chris Cornell is no longer with us. 

King Animal is a great album. 

Sunday Hangover: Ole Miss

Welcome to the Tua and Devonta Show, a game where Tua connected with Smith for a record five touchdowns (for Smith) and a recording-setting number of yards for a receiver. He broke Amari Cooper's record of 242 yards in a game with 274 yards on 11 receptions. 

Those highlights will be shown on all of the sports programs, but there are some aspects of the game that those of us who watched it didn't miss. 

While Tua looked great for the most part, he did miss Ruggs a couple of times on what would have been touchdowns. Alabama could have easily scored in the 60s or 70s if he doesn't overthrow some receivers. 

Also, while the passing game will get much of the attention, the running game, much to my enjoyment, looked pretty dang good. Both Harris and Robinson had many solid runs on the day. It's just that the Tide scored on passing plays. 

It's hard to say how good the Ole Miss Rebels are on defense, but both the running and passing game looked good for Alabama. Sarkisian called a really good game. 

For the most part, the defense looked fine, but the freshman QB of Ole Miss was impressive. He was their leading rushing on the day. He's super fast. He has wide receiver/defensive back speed.  

Next up is a bye week before the Tide travels to College Station. 

Music Friday: "Thank You"

I've been listening to this tune often this week. Of Mellencamp's greatest hits, it's one of his underrated songs. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I've been catching up on my magazine reading. 

In Harper's there's a solid article by Andrew Cockburn titled "The Military Industrial Virus: How Bloated Budgets Gut Our Defense" that everyone should read. 

Here's a ¶ that you should read now: 
"Yet deep scrutiny indicates that defense contracts are not particularly efficient job generators after all. Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have calculated the number of jobs spawned by an investment of $1 billion in various industries, ranging from defense to health care, renewable energy, and education. Education came in first by a wide margin, producing 26,700 jobs, followed by health care at 17,200. Defense, generating 11,200 jobs, ranked last. 'All economic activity creates some employment,' Pollin told me. "That isn't an issue. The relevant question is how much employment in the U.S. gets created for a given level of spending in one area of the economy as opposed to others.' The fact is that defense spending generates fewer jobs than green energy, education, and other critical industries." 

Nick Hanauer's "Better Schools Won't Fix America" in The Atlantic (titled "Education Isn't Enough" in the magazine) is a worth a read. He lays out the myth of "educationism," the belief that better schools will fix America's problems. Based on his experience and data analysis, the real problem is that we're living in a new Gilded Age. The article reminds me of the adage that my Dad liked to say: "A wise man will change his mind, but a fool never will." 

Parts of what's left of my hair has been turning gray for a few years now, but now I have a single gray hair in one of eyebrows. It looks weird. I don't want to pluck it like I'm some vain person, but I need more gray hair in my eyebrows, so it doesn't stand out so prominently. 

What's really gotten gray is my beard when I grow one. 

Sunday Hangover: Southern Miss

Alabama opened a can of whoop-ass versus the Golden Eagles. 

The running game got going again with Harris gaining 110 net yards on only 14 carries. Overall, the Tide gained 176 net yards. Robinson had some really nice runs. 

Tua shone again with a five touchdown day: two to Ruggs, two to Jeudy, and one to Harris. Slade Bolden surfaced in the passing attack with an outstanding catch late in the game. 

The two freshmen linebackers played well, Overall, the defense had seven tackles for loss and a couple of sacks. 

I don't know what to think going into the home game versus the Ole Miss Rebels. I'm still adamant that the Tide needs to run the ball more effectively.